"The first lesson from the Indian ASAT is just the simple question of why did they do that. And the answer should be, I think to all the committee looking at it, is that they did that because they are concerned about threats to their nation from space," US Strategic Command Commander General John E Hyten told members of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
'Everybody spies on their friends as well as their enemies. That's the way the world works these days'
The US space agency also warned that the risk of debris colliding with the International Space Station has risen by 44 per cent since Mission Shakti.
China's anti-satellite missile may be targetted at the US now, but it can easily be turned on India.
The chief of Air Staff on Friday stressed the need for protecting India's space assets in the wake of China developing anti-Satellite (ASAT) weapons and pushed for building the country's military space capabilities.
'Two nations would continue to pursue shared interests in space that includes collaboration on safety and security in space'
DRDO chief G Satheesh Reddy Reddy is the first Indian to be appointed Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Experts said India has possessed the anti-missile technology for several years but needed the political go-ahead to actually test it in live conditions.
New Delhi's moral and ethical protestations that India's space programme is entirely peaceful are facing embarrassing questioning after the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) apparently oblivious of the policy implications of its statements publicly announced a roadmap for its ambitious military space programme.
In the short to medium term India's scarce resources would be better served by focusing on reducing the disparity with China in space. Developing ASAT capability is something that can wait, write Bharath Gopalaswamy and Harsh V Pant.
India is only the fourth country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability after the United States, Russia and China.
Some parties complained to the Election Commission alleging violation of the model code.
The Mars mission is overwhelmingly irrelevant to space science and won't advance the frontiers of knowledge. It will divert attention from the real technological challenges facing the Indian space programme, and will further distort our science and technology priorities, says Praful Bidwai.
The satellite used in the mission was one of India's existing satellites operating in lower orbit.
Mission Shakti 'shows the development within India's military space programme, its desire to be seen as a global space power and its recognition of the potential dangers of China's counterspace programme.'
On the one side there is a strong 'chowkidar', on the other, a line of tainted people, the prime minister said.
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The Modi government caved in under American pressure without even token resistance. Two countries similarly placed as India with high dependence on Iranian oil -- China and Turkey -- have shown the grit to stand up to Washington, says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
During a 'Main bhi chowkidar' event, the prime minister also took a jab at the Congress about its minimum income poll promise and said that first-time voters should see the track record of those pitching for poverty.